Ten Minutes
by brigie365
Summary: Steve Rogers has just been elected President. His wife, Sharon, has stood by it all and he knows she will continue to. At least in the public eye. Behind closed doors he doesn't really love her, sneaking off to be with Tessa Parry, who also happens to be the daughter of the Secretary of Defense. Is Steve able to keep his secret safe? And not only just from public scrutiny.
1. Prologue

She nodded to the two men that stood guard at the door before she swiftly stepped inside, her navy blue gown flowed behind her.

"You're late," Steve whispered as he pulled her into his embrace before silencing her giggle with a kiss.

"You told me to wait ten minutes before following you. Ten minutes can feel like a lifetime when something you want waits for you at the end." He didn't answer her verbally instead tightening his grip on her waist and going in for a deeper kiss. "How long do we have before people start to wonder?"

"Don't think about that." Another kiss for distraction. "I saved a dance for you," he spoke as he extended his hand towards her. Tessa's face fell before she accepted his hand.

"We couldn't dance out there with the rest of them?" she inquired as her other hand went behind his neck.

"I'm sorry but you know they'd ask questions and-"

"No need to explain anything to me. You know I'm just happy for any moment I get with you." She rested her head against his chest, ear to heartbeat, closing her eyes and the faint sounds of the orchestra in the ballroom reached through the closet doors and surrounded them.

"Can you believe tonight is my inaugural ball?" he murmured into the top of her head.

"I can. Ever since my father had you and…over for dinner that night I knew you were much more than just a state senator."

"I'm so happy you've been here for every step, Tessa."

"I'm blessed to have been, Mr. President." He shook his head.

"No, I'm Steve to you. Nothing can or will change between us, ok? Promise me, Tessa, that I'll always have you."

"As long as we both shall live, Steve, yours I'll be. I love you."

"I love you too." Their next kiss was slower, both of them savoring the taste of each other's lips and sounds of their hearts. A knock on the door startled both of them, jumping apart. The door opened to reveal Bucky, his new chief of staff, in his suit with two flutes of champagne.

"Sir, the First Lady would like to make a taste." Steve nodded and Bucky shut the door behind him.

"Ten minutes?" Tessa smirked as she smoothed out the lapels of his jacket.

"Ten minutes." He kissed her forehead, letting his fingers linger on her chin and cheek for an extra beat before he strolled out of the closet. She watched the clock by the door tick down, the sound of cheering and laughter reaching her ears.

The ten minutes ended and she squared her shoulders before leaving the supplies closet to head back to the party. She felt alone when she entered back into the ball. White noise surrounding her and a special heaviness in her heart. She caught Bucky's eye as she looked around for a glass of champagne, him giving her a quick nod as if to say he knew how she felt and she should know she isn't alone.

She looked at the main table where the President, Steve Rogers, sat with his wife, Sharon. A shuttering breath came from her lips, the entirety of her champagne going down her throat in one sip.

"I'm proud of him." Bucky came up next to her and pulled her into a waltz.

"Yeah. Me too. He deserves this. He'll be great." She kept her gaze down so she wouldn't have to watch how Sharon leaned into him and was able to touch him in public.

"He wishes things were different, Tessie. You have to know that." Bucky looked concerned when she finally met his gaze. She nodded in response.

"' _The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live_ ,'" she whispered with a small smile. "Is it bad of me to love him so much and sometimes wish my father had never introduced me to him?" Bucky shook his head.

"That's normal in any relationship. Unrequited or not," he teased. "He'll find a way. Tessa. You both will."

"Thanks, James. You're a good soldier."

"I'm with you both until the end of the line."


	2. I'm Not A Selfless Man

One Year Later

Tessa sat straight on the couch, her fingers tapping against her thigh nervously. She didn't like to be kept waiting, made her feel as though something was going wrong and no one likes the feeling that something is going wrong.

"Tess?" She looked over to see Bucky stood in the doorway. "I didn't see you on the President's schedule this morning. Did something happen?"

"He had Maria call and ask me to come in. Not sure what for. Any ideas?"

"None in the slightest I'm afraid." Bucky walked over to the President's desk, placing a stack of folders on top.

"Does…do you think Sharon knows I'm here?" Tessa whispered.

"She has her minions everywhere. I'm sure she does know." Tessa looked at her feet, clad in taupe ankle high boots and nodded. They both stood as they heard the sounds of a group of people approaching, most likely the President and his entourage.

"I want the numbers on my desk by the time I'm done with dinner tonight-" Steve stopped talking once he stepped into the oval office, the woman in a mauve dress making his heart still. "Tessie…"

"Alright everyone lets clear the room." Bucky took initiative to usher the group of advisors and assistants out into the hall, the door shutting behind him.

"Hi, Steve," she whispered. She felt so vulnerable just being in his presence.

"You've been avoiding me. I sat outside your apartment door for hours the other night." He cautiously took a step towards her, dropping the folder he had been holding.

"You were drunk. I didn't feel like talking to you while you were in that state of mind." She tried so hard to square her shoulders and look him in the eye.

"Tessa. I am beyond sorry for everything that has happened these past few months. I still am so in love with you." She shook her head and didn't stop the tears from falling as his hand came to cup her cheek.

"I heard you and Sharon are trying for a baby."

"Is that…is that what this is all about?" The sense of anger radiated off of him.

"I'm so stupid for ever thinking we had a chance, Steve. I only came to tell you in person that I don't want anything to do with you anymore." She was choking on her sobs now. Pretty sure that her heart was going to stop beating. Her hand shot out and wrapped around the handle of her purse and she took shaky steps towards the door.

"Tessa, look at me. Look at me!" She stopped hearing his own urgency. He was always so mild around her, only letting lust and love consume him.

"Steve, please. You need her so much more than you need me, I'm poison to you."

"You don't get to tell me what I need, Tessa. I am the most powerful man in the free world and I know exactly what I need."

 _It was late January and Tessa's father was having a senator over for dinner. He liked to present his entire family when he welcomed guests. She would look for any excuse to come back to her family's ranch, her favorite horse still lived here._

 _"Smells delicious in here, Mom." Tessa pressed a kiss to her mother's temple as she peeked over her shoulder._

 _"Can you get the bread out of the oven, sweetheart?" She slipped on oven mitts and pulled her other's famous sourdough bread out of the oven, inhaling the scent deeply before placing it on the stovetop._

 _"Hopefully the senator isn't much for sourdough. I want all of it," Tessa joked._

 _"You and your father both love nothing more than simple bread and butter."_

 _"Well as long as it's good." Both woman looked over to see their husband and father, respectively, standing in the doorway. "If I may, Senator Rogers this is my wife Olivia, and my daughter Tessa."_

 _"Pleased to meet you Senator." Tessa spoke softly, acutely aware of his stunning features._

 _"Please. Just call me Steve."_

"I also know what I need, Steve! And I need a man who I can fall asleep next to and wake up next to and go dinner with on a regular consistent basis. I need someone to love who one day can marry me and have a family with me. Who I can introduce to my friends and family as the man I love." She hated that she was crying. Everything she was saying was true but they both had spent so long convincing themselves that one day Steve would be all those things.

"Tessa you just need to let me finish out these four years. I was with you on inauguration night only a year ago. Do you remember how happy we were?" She nodded her head, will to give him just that little bit.

"We had to hide in a closet. You couldn't even dance with me in front of your guests. I missed your speech waiting my ten minutes before I could leave." Angrily, her thumb came to her cheek and pushed away the stream of tears. "You make me feel so loved and important, like I mean so much when we are together but then when you're gone…I'm just your whore."

"No, Tessie. Don't be like this, okay? You are my whole world. The fight is worth the outcome you have to trust me." He bumped his nose against hers and felt her eyelashes flutter against his cheeks.

"Steve," she meant for it to be the beginning of another plea but it came out as a whimper instead. He seized the moment and pressed a light kiss to her mouth. She pulled back for a moment before her fingers were gripping his collar and their lips smashed together. Her hands were possessive around his neck, rooting themselves in his hair. His hands around her neck could feel her erratic pulse as they both lost their breath.

"Mr. President-" Bucky opened the door to look inside then quickly stepped back out and shut it. Tessa pulled away first, her hand flying to her mouth and feeling at her swollen lips.

"This is the oval office. I just kissed you in the oval." She combed through her hair as she pulled on her coat and grabbed her purse.

"Tessa, we didn't solve anything. You can't leave." Steve wanted to relax. Be happy that he had held her in such a way. Kissed her breathless and made her heart stop beating.

"Come to my apartment tomorrow. We can talk and have breakfast. I'll make you waffles," she said bashfully.

"Mr. President may I come in now?"

Tessa woke up the next day with bittersweet emotions sitting on her chest. She had promised herself she wouldn't fall back under Steve's spell. That she would be strong and resilient. For both their sakes.

 _They all sat around the dinner table trading stories over glasses of wine and multiple helpings of her mother's food._

 _"So, Tessa, what is it that you do for a living?" the senator asked._

 _"I actually graduated from veterinary school not too long ago. I'm an apprentice at a clinic in Georgetown."_

 _"That's wonderful. I'm sure living on a ranch helped to foster your love for animals," his wife spoke as she brought a forkful of broccoli to her lips._

 _"Truly," Tessa replied politely._

The doorbell to her apartment rang and before going to answer it Tessa fixed her hair, sleeves, leggings and anything else that could be adjusted. She opened the door with a tight smile, Steve nodding to his secret service that he was fine to enter the room alone.

"You make me feel underdressed." He was in a suit and tie, polished shoes, while she was walking around in a cardigan and leggings.

"Wish I could feel as comfy as you look." He bent down to kiss her and she let him. He hadn't been to her place in months and this used to be the only time she'd let herself imagine that is was going to be for more than just fleeting visits here and there. She kissed him slowly but forcefully, trying to imprint his lips onto hers. "Good morning," he whispered once they pulled apart.

"I made you French toast, extra crispy bacon, scrambled eggs and some hash browns. I hope you still like all of these things." She had set her kitchen table beautifully, bustling around to grab his plate and pile it with food.

"Of course I still enjoy all of those things. Especially when you make them. I miss your pasta." She hummed smugly as she placed his food in front of him where he was removing his jacket and loosening his tie. She went to sit at the opposite head of the table."

"Why're you sitting so far?" He pointed to the seat directly next to him and she rolled her eyes but moved next to him anyways.

"Your wife is going to have both of us killed for doing this," Tessa whispered as Steve's hand came to rest on her knee.

"Don't talk about her. Right now let's enjoy this wonderful meal you made and pretend we are in Virginia on a farm I bought you," he added.

"My horse is there. We have two golden retrievers. And…five kids," she said with a smile as she slipped a piece of toast into her mouth.

"Five?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

"We've discussed this number, Steve. I'm not budging." They fell into a comfortable silence, their hands locked together under the table, the only sound the occasional scrape of a fork against the plate. "I know you don't want to talk about her but I have to ask about the baby."

"My advisors and press secretary say us not having a child makes us look like we aren't happy or that we don't have strong family values. Some dumb optics reason." He stood up from the table and walked over to her fridge, opening it and removing a beer.

"So it's true? You guys are trying?" Her voice had gone meek, her chin resting on the back of the chair as she turned to face him.

"She is pregnant. One month in." Tessa's heart stilled in her chest, felt as though she was choking on it.

"That's-Congratulations. You'll be an amazing dad."

 _Tessa offered to clear the table and do the dishes whilst her father took the senator and his wife on a tour of the property._

 _"He's a very handsome man, isn't here?" Tessa nodded as a blush formed across her cheeks._

 _"Yeah and intelligent too. His wife is a lucky woman. I would love to be able to pick his brain every day."_

 _"I'm sure the physical stuff isn't so bad either." Her mouth dropped open as she looked at her mother with horror._

 _"Mom!"_

"Thanks." It was meek but Steven forced the word to come out of his mouth. "I noticed you're wearing the necklace again." He had given her the locket when he won the nomination for his party. She had been there as he requested her to be, wanting to be with his love on that night.

"I put it on this morning because I know what it means to us. Wanted you to know a part of me still believes in us." He stepped towards her slowly and gathered her into his arms, leaning his forehead against hers. "You're having a child with another woman."

"Nothing will change. You're still the woman I love." His nose pressed against hers before he was leaning forwards and trailing his lips down her neck. She gasped then bit her lip as his soft tongue caressed her skin.

"I missed you," she divulged to him as they backed into her living room towards the couch.

"Don't deprive me of you for that long ever again, Tessa. Please." She settled herself on the couch before he knelt in front of her.

"I'll do my best," she promised as she cupped his cheeks and stared right into his eyes so he would know she wasn't lying. She kissed him again, her tongue begging for his lips to part and let her in. He groaned into her mouth, moving forward to try and receive all the contact from her he had been craving. "Slow down. I'm not leaving," she panted as his hands slid up her body leaving a white hot sensation in his wake.

"Just can't lose you." Tessa had every intention of dragging him to her room and proving for the rest of eternity how unlikely it was for him to lose her but the universe had other plans.

"Sir, it's the Secretary of State on the line."

"Is this about Iran?" She disengaged from their embrace immediately with a gasp. "I actually have some thoughts on the deal that I think you'd like to hear-"

"Not now, Tessie. Another time." He stood up and walked back to the table in order to retrieve his jacket.

"Right of course. You're the leader of the free world."

"I love you," he whispered before he pecked her lips gently.

"I love you too. Have a good rest of your day." And just like that he was gone again.

 **Author's Note: Hi guys i am having a little trouble writing the little scenes that are in between the big plot ones if that makes any sense. any ideas/requests please let me know!**


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